Haitians turn to God for answers, blame men

QUAKE IN HAITI

Edward Cody, Washington Post

Published 7:00 am, Saturday, February 13, 2010

Photo: Handout, Getty Images

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PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI - FEBRUARY 12: In this handout image provided by the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), Haitian earthquake survivors pray on the first of three days of mourning in a camp on what was the Petionville Club golf course February 12, 2010 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The current official estimated death toll stands at 217,000 with around 1.2 million living in temporary encampments. less

PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI - FEBRUARY 12: In this handout image provided by the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), Haitian earthquake survivors pray on the first of three days of mourning in a ... more

Photo: Handout, Getty Images

Haitians turn to God for answers, blame men

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Reeling from the earthquake that devastated their country one month ago, Haitians have turned to their vivid and sometimes quirky spiritual life in a search not only for consolation but also for an explanation of why such a catastrophe was visited upon them.

The depth and breadth of Haiti's spirituality was put on display Friday, the first of three days of mourning decreed by the government of President Rene Preval. Tens of thousands of people gathered on the Champ de Mars, a broad esplanade in front of the collapsed National Palace, to pray, sing religious songs and listen to Roman Catholic, Protestant and voodoo preachers in a government-organized memorial service for the more than 200,000 killed.

"Everybody is praying together, Catholics, Protestants and voodoo believers," said Joseph Ardouin Dubois, an evangelical Protestant who attended the service with his New Testament in hand. "There is only one God."

But in the crowd pressing toward the stage, and among the nearby tents and plastic shelters where homeless families by the thousands have taken refuge, many blamed the Jan. 12 quake on the government itself, saying Haiti's leadership was evil because it ignored spirituality and refused to grant a higher minimum wage to the poor.

The sentiments, freely expressed, suggested that long-term political repercussions from the earthquake could extend beyond the immediate question of whether Preval and his government preside over efficient relief efforts.

"If this tragedy has befallen Haiti, it is because our leaders, our politicians, are not spiritual people," said Pastor Vladimir Justal, 34, an evangelical minister who walked among the tents in a white linen suit. "They have no religion."

The sight of voodoo priests among the religious leaders startled many Haitians, aware of the hostility that the secretive religious practice arouses among the Roman Catholic hierarchy and many in the government. Officially, nearly 80 percent of Haiti's 8.4 million people are Catholic, but a majority practice voodoo at the same time. In more recent times, more than 15 percent of the population has gravitated toward an evangelical Protestantism that also steers its followers away from traditional voodoo rites.

Despite such efforts to understand why Haiti was forced to suffer so, Delva Loisdel, his hair white and his skin burnished dark brown, said he had no faith in any of the explanations. Speaking through an opening in his little tent, the 84-year-old laborer said, "Only God knows."